Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Plural-contact coupling part
Patent
1997-05-07
1999-10-19
Stephan, Steven L.
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Plural-contact coupling part
H01R 1324
Patent
active
059678569
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector block comprising at least one contact member in at least one cavity, each contact member being integrally made and provided with a first contact terminal for electrical contact to a contact member of a mating electric element, a second contact terminal and a corrugated spring part giving the contact member a resilient capacity in a predetermined axial direction and being provided with at least a substantially flat middle section.
Such a connector block is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,877, which discloses a connector for an electronic tester for testing an electronic device such as a printed circuit board. The known connector is provided with one or several resilient contact pins, each of said pins having a plunger member and a spring, which plunger member and which spring of each of the contact pins are jointly formed in one piece from a portion of metal sheet. In some of the embodiments shown, the spring has at least a substantially flat middle section. However, parts of the spring may be folded about folding lines. The spring may have an undulating or meander pattern or a zig-zag-shape. More details regarding this prior art connector block will be given below when FIG. 3 is explained. However, the known spring contact member is provided with a sharp contact point which makes the known connector unsuitable for many connecting and disconnecting operations: the sharp contact point would destroy the contact terminal of a mating connector within a very short time period.
EP-A-0,009,314 discloses an electrical connector suitable for micro-circuit technology. The connector comprises several connecting elements disposed in rows and columns. Each of the connecting elements is stamped and formed in one piece from sheet metal in strip form. Two identical sinuous portions extend from a strap, the end portions of which function as contact terminals for contacting conductors on e.g. printed circuit boards. The sinuous portions render the contact element resilient in an axial direction. Upper and lower spring sections extend from the strap portion. During operation, the entire connecting element is inserted in a corresponding cavity in the connector body in such a way that contact dimples, provided on the contact terminals are electrically contacting the upper and lower spring sections. The spring sections provide a shorter electrical path than that of the sinuous spring portions. However, both the sinuous spring portions and the spring sections for providing a short circuit are bent relative to the strap portion. Moreover, the end portions of the sinuous portion are bent to form a U-shape. Thus, these known contact members need many bending steps during manufacturing and are difficult to be made.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a connector with at least one spring contact member which allows further miniaturization of the connector and which can be easily and relatively cheaply manufactured.
This objective is obtained by a connector block defined at the outset and characterized in that the first contact terminal of said at least one contact member is provided with a bent extremity.
Such a bent extremity establishes a less sharp contact member and enhances the possible number of connecting and disconnecting operations between the connector block and a mating connector.
Preferably, each of the extremities is provided with a dimple to further reduce the sharpness of the contacting end of the first contact terminal.
Preferably, each of the extremities is bent relative to the axial direction through about .pi./2 radians.
The first contact terminal of said at least one contact terminal may be provided with a rib arranged in the axial direction of the first contact terminal.
Preferably, each of the spring parts extend in a substantially flat surface and are provided with U-shaped or V-shaped interconnected parts.
The interconnected parts may be provided with legs and base parts interconnectin
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Berg Technology Inc.
Long Daniel J.
Page M. Richard
Standig Barry
Stephan Steven L.
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